Oppenheimer

Oppenheimer is a dramatic biopic — directed and produced by Christopher Nolan — focusing on the life and career of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the man who developed the atomic bomb during World War II.

This movie is probably most interesting to people who have extensively studied World War II, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t engaging for the average moviegoer. What it comes down to is a whole lot of politically motivated back stabbing.

The movie is framed by the confirmation hearing of Lewis Strauss (Robert Downey Jr.), hoping to be a secretary in the cabinet of the president of the United States. His game plan to survive the Senate confirmation hearings is to denounce J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) because of his apparent communist sympathies.

This framing actually made the movie somewhat aesthetically confusing because the confirmation hearing was filmed in black and white, while what happened during WWII was filmed in color. It would perhaps make more sense for the wartime scenes to be black and white, but logic need not apply in this case.

Besides Robert Downey Jr. and Cillian Murphy, this movie is jam packed with names. Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Florence Pugh, and even Josh Peck, just to name a few. Yes, Josh from Nickelodeon’s “Drake & Josh”.

However, it was Emily Blunt who really stood out. As far as characters go, Kitty Oppenheimer doesn’t seem like a typical Emily Blunt role — most of her characters are lighthearted and fun, while Kitty is definitely on the darker side. That said, Mrs. Oppenheimer is still relatable. And Emily Blunt knew just how to play her — it’s easily one of Blunt’s best performances, if not her best to date. If she doesn’t get nominated for any awards for this role, she’s been snubbed.